What to do with Old Running Shoes: 11 Ideas for Recycling

Since the lifespan of most running shoes is 300-500 miles, it’s easy to go through a few pairs per year if you run regularly. After running shoes hit that mileage, they often still look fine and function normally for other activities, so it feels like a waste to throw them out.

I’m a marathoner and sustainability educator, so here’s a roundup of creative ways you can extend the life of your running shoes, or pass them onto someone who needs them!

Upcycling/downcycling ideas for old running shoes

You don’t have to get rid of your running shoes when you can no longer use them for running. Some ideas for continued use are:

1. Turning them into walking, gym, gardening, or lawn mowing shoes

Old running shoes are perfect for activities where you don’t want to “ruin” a new pair of shoes. You can even take them through the entire lifecycle, starting as walking/gym shoes, and then eventually gardening/lawn mowing.

2. Make a unique garden planter

Shoes make a very fun container for small plants like succulents and flowers.

Ways to locally redistribute running shoes

If you don’t need your shoes anymore, they can still be useful to people in your neighborhood. Try these ways to redistribute them:

3. Post in your Buy Nothing group

Buy Nothing is a global community for giving and getting things for free. Look for your local Facebook group, where you can post your running shoes and see if anyone could use them.

If you’re not on Facebook, some other community platforms are Freecycle, Bunz, and NextDoor. If you’re in NYC, the app Treasure It is also great.

You would be surprised what you can give away in these groups—I’ve given away a bag of cotton event t-shirts, which most people would deem undesirable. The woman who took them said she would use them for cleaning antiques. There could be artists in the groups using upcycled materials, or people who need a pair of walking/gardening shoes.

4. Leave them on the curb

If you’re in a big city with curb giveaway culture, try leaving them outside for a few hours and see if there are any takers. Just make sure to recollect them if no one bites.

I actually once was going out to the trash can to throw my old shoes away, and a person walking by asked for them.

5. Contact local schools

Some schools might collect shoes for gym class, donation closets, or their track and cross country teams.

For the running teams, make sure your shoes still have some life in them (maybe you tried them on for some miles and don’t like them, for example).

6. Check if your running store has a recycling bin

Local running stores might have a recycling bin for old shoes and you can simply drop off. If you’re in Brooklyn, as of time of writing, Brooklyn Running Company in Park Slope has one :)

7. Distribute to homeless folks

I’ve also taken my and my roommates’ old shoes before and asked homeless folks if they happened to need any shoes. Running shoes are very comfortable for walking and it’s possible their current shoes are in worse condition. People have accepted them before, and then I took their used shoes for recycling.

Recycling programs for running shoes

If you have a lot of shoes or they’re in bad condition, consider these recycling programs:

8. GotSneakers (US)

GotSneakers sends you a free, pre-paid bag for your old athletic shoes. They resell or recycle them, and you can even get a small check from them depending on the quality of the shoes you send in (I got $6 for a big bag last time, so don’t expect too much!).

9. Soles4Souls

Soles4Souls takes gently-used shoes and trains people in poverty to run their own business reselling the shoes. The goal is empower them with the skills and resources to provide for themselves and increase their living standards.

You can find drop-off locations near you (DSW has collection bins), or ship the shoes for free.

I would also only do this for shoes that are in nicer condition and still have a decent amount of life in them.

10. SneakerImpact

SneakerImpact is very similar to Soles4Souls in that they take the good condition sneakers and help people in poverty set up microbusinesses.

Their main difference is that they also take running shoes in bad condition to be recycled. You can request a free label for up to 7 pairs of shoes, or a free box for your organization.

11. Nike Reuse-a-Shoe

Nike isn’t a very sustainable brand, but they do have an athletic shoe recycling program, turning them into sports surfaces like basketball courts and tracks.

Call your local Nike store to make sure they’re participating in the Reuse-A-Shoe program.

I don’t trust Nike too much, so I would only do this if the other options don’t work for you.

Also, if all else fails, it is ultimately better to just throw shoes away (if they’re in truly bad condition), rather than wishcycling them at a thrift store. I’ve had to throw some pairs of shoes away while traveling, and while it doesn’t feel good, it’s better than donating unusable items to a non-profit.

Let me know if you have other suggestions!